Device for packing fabric



Sept. 13, 1966 s. SCHWARTZ 3,272,449

DEVICE FOR PACKING FABRIC Original Filed Dec. 13, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR. ,504 Sch WAR 7'Z ATTORNEYS Sept. 13, 1966 s. SCHWARTZ DEVICE FOR PACKING FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Dec. 13, 1962 INVENTOR.

4 1 i iifiaia ,SoL Somme-12' BY W? ATTORNEYS United States Patent 6 (31311318. or. 2i2-62) This is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 248,694, filed December 31, 1962, now abancloned.

This invention relates generally to the pile fabric packing art, and more specifically relates to a frame and device for automatically packing pile fabrics.

To protect the nap or pile of certain fabrics, it has been the practice to wind such maerials manually in substantially spirally separated layers by catching the edges of the material over sharply pointed rigid supporting hooks of the opposite end heads of a rotatably mounted rack or reel.

This is a time consuming operation requiring the constant attention of several skilled operators. Furthermore, even under the most favorable circumstances, the cloth may be torn during manual application to the hooks, resulting in impairment and injury to the goods.

Gbjects of the present invention, therefore, are to avoid and to eliminate these possibilities and to provide a machine in which pile fabrics or the like may be automatically, quickly and accurately positioned and fed, and effectively secured, without the possibility of injury or coming loose as heretofore, and with relatively simple equipment.

In prior applications, the above objects were accomplished by providing a rack or reel having fixed longitudinally aligned and evenly spaced supports for the edges of the fabric and the provision of means for projecting binding elements of wire, cord, plastic or the like successively through these longitudinally spaced supports and through the intervening layers of material positioned therebetween. The edges of the cloth would be fed to the proper support either manually or by automatic gripping and feeding means.

The construction of such feed means is often expensive and complicated. The instant device provides a completely automatic means to accomplish the same result economically and efficiently.

With these objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will appear in the following specification and recited in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals indicate the same parts throughout the various figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a typical reel.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the opposite side thereof.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial elevational view of a portion of one of the reel assemblies.

portion of the device Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 2 and 3, which illustrate what may be for some purposes a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is illustrated a reel assembly consisting primarily of a pair of opposite end head assemblies 15 and 16 secured in a spaced and substantially parallel relationship in a rotatable fashion by one or more spacing bars or rods 17.

It should be noted that some of the details otf the construction and operation of the reel supports and the actuating device are not described in detail as they are disclosed in particular in previous patents and applications. Sufficient to say, however, that the bar 17, with the reel assembly secured thereto, are rotatable. They may be rotated by either manual, partially automatic, or completely automatic means.

As illustrated, each of the head assemblies 15 and 16 has a supporting backing plate 18. The supporting backing plate 18 illustrated herein is circular but, of course, may be constructed in any shape, and may be fabricated of any relatively rigid material, such as metal or the like.

Supported to each of the backing plates 18 in a releasable manner, such as will be described in detail hereinafter, is a fabric support reel 13 (FIG. 2). As may be seen, each of the fabric reels 13 may have a plurality of radiating arms 19, 20, 21 and 22. Although in the embodiment of this invention herein depicted, each reel 13 is illustrated as having four such radiating arms, it is contemplated that there may be a different number of arms as desired for specific applications.

Each of the radiating arms 19, 20, 21 and 22 may be constructed of sheet metal or the like formed with a plurality of evenly spaced lateral apertures or gaps 25 at their inward side (the side opposite backing plate 18) between hook or impaling wire members 31. The hooks 31 are positioned to receive and impale the fabric edge as the fabric is wound on the reel.

Referring again to the figures, the edges of the pile fabric 28 (FIG. 3) are introduced to the spaced lateral gaps 25 between the hooks. In prior applications, the engagement of the cloth over the successive spaced gaps 25 was either a hand operation or required the use of relatively expensive and complicated equipment. In the instant invention, this is accomplished automatically, as will be hereinafter explained.

In their initial position, the hook sections 31 are positioned away or out of the path of the pile fabric 28 (FIG. 4) and are, therefore, in a non-intersecting and non-interfering fabric position. The innermost extending hook 31a (FIG. 4) is, however, bent in a substantially perpendicular manner, or in any other angle to the remainder of the extending books 31 so as initially to intersect the pile fabric 28. The fabric 28 is impaled on this innermost hook 31a and is thereafter urged toward the center of the reels 13 as they are caused to rotate. After the fabric 28 is wound against this innermost extending hook 31a, a second extending hook 31b Will be automatically moved to the cloth receiving position in a manner to be described in detail hereinafter. Then as the support reel 13 completes its second rotation, the fabric 28 is wound against the second extending sections 3111. Similarly, once during each rotation of the support reel 13 the next extending hook 31 in line on each of the radiating arms 19, 2t), 21 and 22 will be moved into the cloth intersecting position. This operation will be repeated each time an arm completes a pass at the cloth until as in FIG. 3 each arm is completely loaded. It is noted, for example, that the hooks 31 have a portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to the arms 19 for impaling a fabric in a direction substantially perpendicular to a surface of the fabric.

It will be understood that the radiating arms 19, 2.0, 21 and 22 will be made with each of its extending hooks 31 positioning and locating at least one fold of the fabric 28. Of course, the same feeding and forming operation is concurrently performed on the mating radiating arms of the opposite end head assemblies and 16.

As heretofore described, it is preferred that each of the extending hooks 31 will be integrally formed with the remainder of each of the radiating arms. In this embodiment the material utilized to form the radiating arm will be sufficiently pliable to permit the bending of each of the extending hooks 31 from the non-intersecting to the intersecting position without danger of breakage or distortion. For example, the hooks 31 may be made of sheet metal.

There is shown in the illustrations, one proposed technique for automatically moving the cloth receiving extending hooks 31 from the non-intersecting to the intersecting position.

As illustrated, a support and actuating mechanism 50 (FIG. 4) will be located so as to be in juxtaposition with each of the radiating arms 19, 20, 21 and 22. In the embodiment disclosed, the support and actuating mechanism 50 is located on the outside of the backing plates 18 (the side opposite the fabric support reel 13). Rigidly mounted on support-s integrally fastened to the backing plates 18 will be a supporting bar 51 or the like (FIGS. 1, 4). Each of the supporting bars 51 Will be disposed in a substantially spaced parallel relationship with a radiating arm 19, 20, 21 and 22 (see FIG. 4).

Slidably mounted on each of the supporting bars 51 is an actuating means 52 such as an air or hydraulic cylinder, electric solenoid or the like. The actuating means 52 will have a two position extendable plunger 55 which may be automatically or manually operated.

Suitably fastened to the outermost portion of the backing plates 18 in line with each of the supporting bars 51 will be a constant tension spring reel st or the like. The spring 58 Wound on the spring reel 56 will be fastened to one point of the actuating means 52. Since the actuating means 52 is mounted in a slidable manner on supporting bars 51 the said actuating means will always be urged toward the spring reel 56 and, therefore, the outermost diameter of the backing plate 18.

The extendable plunger 55 of actuating means 52 will be substantially perpendicular to and extend through generally a radially elongated opening 53 in the backing plate 18. Fastened at the inward end of each of the extendable plungers 55 is an actuating implement 59. The actuating implement 59 has at least one extending portion 60 to engage the extending hooks 31 for automatic indexing purposes, to be described immediately below.

When any of the extending hooks 31 are in their nonfabrie intersecting position, they will catch or interfere with the actuating implement extending portion 60. Initially, the actuating means 52 will be moved automatically or manually to a point adjacent the innermost extending hook 311:, and will thus be restrained against movement in the spring urged direction.

As the fabricis wound around the reel as heretofore described, the actuating means 52 is operated at the proper time and the actuating implement 59 is fully extended.

This, of course, urges the extending hook 31, which previously interfered with the movement of the actuating implement 59 to extend into the cloth intersecting position.

The actuating means 52, when its extendable plunger 55 is withdrawn, will be free and will be urged somewhat towards the outermost portion of the backing plate 18. The extending portion 60, however, will catch on the next adjacent extending hook 31. It will remain in this position until the fabric support reel 13 has made at least one complete revolution and it is desired to extend the next adjacent extending section 31.

The above-described operation will be repeated as necessary as the fabric is wound on the fabric support reel 13.

It will be understood, of course, that the actuating means 52 may be moved by any other suitable device as by a screw shaft rotated by a start-stop motor.

The actuating procedure will be carried out by a similar mechanism 59 in juxtaposition with each of the radiating arms on each of the opposite end heads 15 and 16.

It should be noted that the means described above for automatic actuation of the hooks 31 from the cloth nonintersecting to the cloth intersecting position is not further described in that is i described merely for exemplary purposes. Many similar devices may be used to effectuate the desired result of moving each of the extending hooks 31 from its non-intersecting to intersecting position in turn. Furthermore, it should be realized that the actuating means 52 may be simplified in certain instances merely by having an extending arm intersect the proper extending hook 31. The rotative energy of the fabric support reel 13 would, in that instance, provide the force necessary to rotate the section 31 from its non-intersectin g to intersecting position. Additionally, only one actuating means 52 may be provided for each reel, and be activated only during the interval each arm of the reel passes adjacent thereto.

As mentioned, the spaced lateral gaps 25 on each of the radiating arms of each head locate and separate each fold of the pile fabric 28 and the fabric is secured by being impaled on the hooks.

The device, as above disclosed, is substantially complete in all its essential details. It Will, of course, be realized that additional features may be necessary for improved performance and specific applications. For example, it may be desirable to interpose guide rollers between the fabric feeding machine and this invention. The function of such rollers would be to hold the fabric taut and thus insure proper winding of the reel.

Although there was previously heretofore mentioned only one fold of the material between each of the cloth supports, it may be desirable in certain applications, such as with velvet, etc., to locate a plurality of such folds in each of the gaps between the spaced cloth supports.

While there are above disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the structure and product of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for winding pile fabrics, comprising two reels, means spacing said reels apart by a distance approximately equal to the width of the pile fabric, each of said reels having radiating arms on one side thereof and corresponding arms being aligned with each other, each of said arms including a plurality of integral pliable spaced fabric supporting hooks thereon on the side opposite said reel, said hooks on each arm being in alignment with the hooks of an opposing arm, each of said hooks having a first non-interfering fabric position and a second fabric interfering position, said first position being arcuately spaced from said second position, and means for bending said hooks seriatm from said first positions into said second positions.

2. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said arms and integral hooks are made of sheet metal.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second positions are offset from each other by approximately 4. A machine as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a backing plate for each of said reels, and means fastening said reels to said backing plates respectively.

5. A reel for winding pile fabrics comprising a radiating arm having a plurality of integral pliable spaced fabric hooks thereon on one side thereof, each of said hooks having a first non-interfering fabric position and a second fabric interfering position on said one side, said first position being arcuately spaced from said second position.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said hooks has a portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to said reels for impaling a fabric in a direction substantially perpendicular to a surface of the fabric.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Gessner 242-77.1 Jenkins 24277.1 X Kreuthmeier 206-51 Schwartz 242-77.1 X Schwartz 242--62 Bejeuhr 242-62 FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

MERVIN STEIN, Examiner.

D. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner. 

5. A REEL FOR WINDING PILE FABRICS COMPRISING A RADIATING ARM HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL PLIABLE SPACED FABRIC HOOKS THEREON ON ONE SIDE THEREOF, EACH OF SAID HOOKS HAVING A FIRST NON-INTERFERING FABRIC POSITION AND A SECOND FABRIC INTERFERING POSITION ON SAID ONE SIDE, SAID FIRST POSITION BEING ARCUATELY SPACED FROM SAID SECOND POSITION. 